Ornament



April 1 6, 1940. R S E 2,197,577

ORNAMENT I Filed Jan. 10, 1938 g i A I Fig. 5

DaI/ek/ H Crosser $543 MW W Patented Apr. 16, 1940 ORNABIENT David H. Crosser, Chicago, IlL, assignor to National Tinsel Manufacturing Company, Manitowoc, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 10, 1938, Serial No. 184,282

3 Claims.

This invention relates to decorative devices and more particularly to ornaments such as icicles especially adapted for use on Christmas trees or the like.

It is a major object of this invention to provide a novel decorative device which when hung from a suitable support such as a Christmas tree and rotated as by currents or drafts of air creates an illusion of longitudinal or up-and-down movement.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a novel decorative device for Christmas trees and the like including a ribbon of relatively rigid material formed as an elongated coil with spaced convolutions, the diiierent sides of the ribbon being differently surfaced to create the illusion of longitudinal movement when rotated.

Still a further object of this invention is the provision of a novel decorative device for Christmas trees or the like including a ribbon formed as an elongated coil with spaced convolutions to give an illusion of longitudinal movement when rotated, means being provided to permit selective rotation and revolution of the device about different axes to obtain different types of movement.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a novel decorative device for Christmas trees or the like in the form of an elongated coil of ribbon with spaced convolutions, the dimensions of the coil relative to the width of the ribbon being such as to increase the illusion of longitudinal or up-and-down movement when rotated.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the attached drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in an icicle hung from a suitable support such as the limb of a Christmas tree.

Figure 2 is a plan of the icicle of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2 of a further preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figures 4 and 5 are preferred modified forms of icicle wherein the element by which the icicle is hung is secured to the icicle in a manner different from that shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Referring to Figure l, the icicle therein illustrated as a preferred embodiment of this invention comprises a strip of ribbon H wound in the form of an elongated coil or spiral l2 with spaced convolutions. The ribbon is preferably made of ribbon sufiiciently rigid to retain its shape when formed as described and of sufficient lightness to be used on a suitable support such as the limb of a Christmas tree. It may be formed of metal foil, paper or other well known materials.

In the preferred maner of making the ornament, ribbon H is wound about a mandrel, generally cylindrical in shape, the successive convolutions being preferably spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the ribbon. As the successive convolutions are formed on the mandrel, the

ribbon may be severed at any desired point to 1.0

mandrel may be polyhedral or the mandrel may 15 be tapered to produce icicles of diiferent attractive designs. The taper of the mandrel may be such as to produce ornaments having relative large diameters atthe ends with a small diameter at thecenter as in a hour glass or the taper may be such as to form a center of relatively large diameter with ends of relatively small diameter.

In the modification illustrated, the diameter of the mandrel is preferably equal to the width 25 of the ribbon although it is to be understood that the diameter and shape of the mandrel may be varied as desired to produce'ornaments of different shapes.

Ribbon H is preferably formed with surfaces of contrasting'color or material so that when the icicle is rotated, the illusion of up-and-down movement will be at a maximum. In the preferred embodiment shown which is for a Christmas tree, the exterior surface l3 of the icicle is preferably green in color to harmonize with the color of the tree, the interior surface l4 being preferably'of a bright silver color or the like to contrast with the green of the tree and the outer surface of the ornament. This increases the effect of the illusion. when the icicle is rotated. If desired, the silver color may be placed on the outer surface with the dark or non-reflecting color on the inner surface.

As shown in Figure 1, the ornament of this invention is especially adapted for use on a Christmas tree, a limb of which is shown at IS. A string or like twisted member I6 is preferably employed to secure the icicle to the tree since such a twisted string permits and encourages rotation of the icicle when rotation is once started by hand or drafts of air.

The icicle of Figure 1 may be suspended in a number of different ways to produce different effects when rotated. For instance in Figure 2, 65

' member I6 is shown as secured to a portion I1 of coil I I, the end of the coil being bent back upon itself at I8 to provide a fastening loop for member I6. When thus suspended, the top and bottom of icicle II will revolve about an axis passing through member I6 and the center of the icicle will rotate about the axis of the icicle, giving a pleasing efiect coupled with the illusion of up-and-down movement.

In Figure 3 wherein a preferred modified form of suspension is shown, the upper portion of coil I I is bent inwardly as at I 9, a portion 2| being bent back upon the ribbon to form a securing loop 22 at a point lying on the longitudinal axis of the icicle. When thus suspended and caused to rotate, icicle II will have a uniform rotation throughout its length about its axis, there being no tendency for the icicle .to rotate or revolve about any other axis.

In Figure 4 the ribbon is shown as provided with a hole 23 at its upper end through which member I6 may be passed and secured. In Figure 5, a hole 24 at the upper end of the icicle is likewise employed for securing member IS, the hole being positioned so that member I6 will lie on the longitudinal axis of the icicle.

In Figure l, the icicle shown is wound to produce convolutions running in only one direction. However, it is to be understood that this invention also includes ornaments wherein successive convolutions may run in opposite directions. Or a section of, the icicle may be formed of ribbon wound in one direction and another section with the ribbon wound in a different direction. If desired, the windings may be separated by a portion of unwound or straight ribbon, this modification being readily applicable to ornaments where the winding is all in one direction or where windings are used in different directions. also to be understood that the ornament may be formed wth a one-direction winding in the center with windings in the other direction at the ends.

The invention may be embodied inother specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the It isv meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A decorative device adapted to be suspended for free rotation by means of a flexible string upon Christmas trees and like supports of definite color comprising a ribbon of relatively rigid light weight material in the form of a hollow elongated substantially cylindrical coil with spaced convolutions to simulate longitudinal movement when rotated, said ribbon having a colored surface on one side and, in contrast thereto, a relatively bright surface on the opposite side so that upon rotation said contrasting surfaces appear as distinct, discontinuous ornamental forms and said colored surface harmonizes with the color of said support.

2. A decorative device for Christmas trees and the like comprising a ribbon of relatively rigid material in the form of a hollow elongated substantially cylindrical coil with spaced convolutions to simulate longitudinal movement when rotated, the upper end portion of said coil being bent inwardly to a point on the longitudinal axis of said coil and formed to receive a suitable sus-- pension means, and means to suspend said coil from a Christmas tree or like support to permit substantially free rotation of said coil, said latter means being secured to said inwardly bent portion of said coil at a point substantially on the longitudinal axis of said coil.

3. A decorative device adapted to be suspended for free rotation by means of a flexible string upon a Christmas tree or like support of definite color comprising a relatively wide flat ribbon of relatively rigid material formed as a hollow substantially cylindrical coil with the successive convolutions spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the width of said ribbon, to simulate longitudinal movement when rotated, said coil being of a diameter approximately equal to the width of said ribbon and said ribbon having its oppositesurfaces differently colored and one of said surfaces being highly reflective, so that upon rotation said ribbon surfaces appear as distinct, discontinuous ornamental forms with one of said colored surfaces harmonizing with the background color of said support.

DAVID H. CROSSER. 

